Dingell Plans to Offer Carbon Tax Bill

Rep. John Dingell plans to introduce a bill that would impose a stiff tax on burning oil, gas and coal, a measure most Democrats are likely to oppose.

The Michigan Democrat, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, announced the proposal in an interview to be broadcast Sunday on C-Span, The New York Times reported. He suggested U.S. taxpayers are unwilling to pay the true cost of measures to reduce global warning.

I sincerely doubt that the American people will be willing to pay what this is really going to cost them, Dingell said. I will be introducing in the next little bit a carbon tax bill, just to sort of see how people think about this. When you see the criticism I get, I think you’ll see the answer to your question.

Most Democratic legislators favor a cap-and-trade system to cut emissions of greenhouse gases.

In 1993, President Bill Clinton introduced a proposal for a BTU tax, which passed the House and failed in the Senate. Most Democrats believe the bill helped them lose the House in 1994.